117,000 Sudanese civilians displaced by floods, says IOM

More than 117,000 Sudanese have been displaced from their homes due to heavy rains and floods since June, the UN migration agency (IOM) said in a statement on Saturday.

This displacement comes as millions of refugees and internally displaced persons have been forced to flee their homes amidst the ongoing conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which began in April 2023.

The floods have claimed dozens of lives, and the Ministry of Health has declared a cholera outbreak amidst the worsening crises faced by the displaced population.

The IOM noted in its statement that “from 1 June to 12 August, the rains and floods caused sudden displacement across Sudan.” According to the organisation’s estimates, 117,835 individuals have been displaced across 12 of states.

The international agency added that around 32,611 buildings were either partially damaged or destroyed due to the floods and heavy rains.

As of Wednesday, 76 people died as a result of the floods, according to the Ministry of Health. On Saturday, Minister of Health Haitham Ibrahim confirmed the cholera outbreak in Sudan, attributing it to poor environmental conditions and contaminated drinking water in several areas.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported 11,327 cases of cholera in Sudan, 316 of which were fatal, and warned of increase in dengue and meningitis cases due to civil war.

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